Seeds of Persecution – Part 4

VA changes position pastor’s invoking ‘Jesus’ in public prayer: “Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs informed a federal judge in Houston today the agency has reconsidered its position on religious-specific prayer at Houston National Cemetery, agreeing a pastor can utter ‘Jesus Christ’ during his Memorial Day prayer.’…

“For the past two years, Rainey has given the Memorial Day invocation at the cemetery to honor U.S. soldiers who have fought and died. And each year, he’s mentioned Jesus Christ, without complaint. The invocation is sponsored by a private group, the National Cemetery Council for Greater Houston, but held at the Houston National Cemetery, which is public property. …Rainey’s prayer…includes the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer and closes with one reference to Jesus: ‘While respecting people of every faith today, it is in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, that I pray. Amen.’…

“Cemetery director Arleen Ocasio …wrote. ‘The tone of all messages must be inclusive of all beliefs… and non-denominational in nature.”…

“It’s private speech that happens to be on public land,” said Hiram Sasser, Rainey’s attorney. ‘The Supreme Court has said on five occasions that the government has no business censoring religious private speech on public land or in a public venue.” See Purging the Memory of Our Christian Roots

Prescribing Jesus Gets Doctor Censured: “A Christian doctor in England has been threatened with an official warning from his professional body for discussing Jesus with a patient….Richard Scott, a doctor for 28 years, is under investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC) and faces disciplinary action after he suggested to a 24-year-old man that he might find solace in Christianity. Scott, who practices at a medical center in Margate, east of London, well known for having Christian doctors, insists he only raised his spiritual beliefs after carrying out a thorough and lengthy consultation, during which medical checks and referrals for further care were arranged. “When the man’s mother inquired of the consultation, however, her son apparently replied, “He just said I need Jesus.” This prompted his mother to refer Scott to the GMC…” See Persecuted but not forsaken

April 2011

Foster parents argue Christians should be allowed to help: “A husband and wife whose dispute with local city officials over their plan to resume providing care for foster children escalated to the point a court concluded Christians only have ‘qualified’ rights to their faith now is asking those local officials to change their decision. The case involves Eunice and Owen Johns, who were rejected by local foster care authorities because they would not promise to promote homosexuality to children.“

March 2011

DOJ to white male bullying victims: Tough luck: “The viral video sensation showing a bullying incident at an Australian school has brought the issue of bullying back into the spotlight. Here in the United States, the Obama administration has made school bullying a federal issue….Here is the catch. DOJ will only investigate bullying cases if the victim is considered protectedunder the 1964 Civil Rights legislation….

“The Justice Department’s anti-bullying initiative is tantamount to bringing hate crime legislation to the public school system. Obviously, not only is the heterosexual white male student out of luck but inner city minority students lose out in this deal too…”

Anti-Christian bias is OK at the BBC: “‘Islam must not be offended at any price, although Christians are fair game because they do nothing about it if they are offended….In my view, ‘bias’ is too blunt a word to describe the subtleties of the pervading culture.’ …He added that ‘the one thing guaranteed to damage your career prospects at the BBC is letting it be known that you are at odds with the prevailing and deep-rooted BBC attitude towards Life, the Universe and Everything.’

“…former Radio 2 presenter Don Maclean claimed that the BBC is keen on programmes which attack churches, and that there was a wider secularist campaign ‘to get rid of Christianity.’ …BBC’s former chief political correspondent, said: ‘The BBC is not impartial or neutral. It’s a publicly-funded, urban organization with an abnormally large number of young people, ethnic minorities and gay people. ‘…It is better expressed as a cultural liberal bias.’”

Oklahoma Police Captain Faces Disciplinary Action for Refusing to Attend Islamic Event: “The Tulsa Police Deptartment is investigating a captain who refused an order to assign officers to attend an upcoming Islamic event because he said it would violate his religious beliefs. Capt. Paul Fields was reassigned after he refused to order officers under his command to attend the Islamic Center of Tulsa’s Law Enforcement Appreciation Day….

“’It is my opinion and that of my legal counsel that forcing me to enter a Mosque when it is not directly related to a police call for service is a violation of my Civil Rights,’ Fields wrote in an internal police department memo….’I have no problem with officers attending on a voluntary basis; however, I take exception to requiring officers to attend this event….I believe this directive to be an unlawful order, as it is in direct conflict with my personal religious convictions.’ “.. according to a promotional flyer, the Islamic event included not just food and entertainment, but ‘presentations’ on ‘beliefs, human rights, and women.’ They would also be able to watch a Muslim prayer service and take a tour of the mosque….

“Ibrahim Hooper, the spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR, an arm of Muslim Brotherhood], called the incident an example of ‘anti-Muslim bigotry.'” Once again CAIR poses as victim.

“One of the bed and breakfasts…is owned by Jim Walder, a Christian father of five children who has been deluged with vicious, hateful emails and phone calls. …it’s been an emotionally devastating experience for the Walders who did not ask for this battle. The desire and efforts of parents to protect their children from exposure to ceremonies and celebrations on their property that honor conduct which God finds detestable are noble desires and efforts that must be supported.”

Please pray with me for God’s peace and protection for their family during this difficult time — and a victorious end to this battle. He toldus, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

‘Bloodless persecution’ predicted for Christians: “Christianity has been around what now is Europe since the first century, with some parts of the New Testament written to people in Greece and Rome. But a new report is warning that open hostility to Christianity across the continent is on the rise and intolerance is being paired with legislative power to attack and violate the religious rights of the faithful. ‘There are signs that hostility towards free and open demonstrations of faith is growing. Christians are increasingly marginalized.” SeeBan truth – Reap Tyranny

FOX Rejects John 3:16 Super Bowl Ad: “As FOX Network puts the finishing touches on its advertisement lineup for the February 6th Super Bowl — arguably as popular a part of the evening as the game itself — one thing is certain: just about any thing will be permissible in the way of sex, sleaze, and crude humor. Apparently, however, one type of ad will not be permitted: those promoting positive values and faith in God.

“Following last year’s media furor over a Focus on the Family-sponsored pro-life spot during the Super Bowl featuring Christian football phenomenon Tim Tebow and his mother, FOX has put the kibosh on wholesome advocacy ads with the potential of offending any viewer with an opposing viewpoint….

“The goal of the site [that produced that ad]… is to offer a ‘message of hope’ base on the well-known New Testament scripture John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“…the Jacksons say they have encountered prejudice against their religion and homeschooling as they fight a state agency determined to see the children adopted by strangers no matter what the evidence says…. ‘

“We were told we’re ‘excessive Christians’ by our therapeutic supervisor,’ …said John Jackson. During a visit with the children, a DYFS supervisor told Jackson he was not allowed to pray with his children for reunification of the family.'” See Homeland Security links Homeschoolers to terrorists

EU School Calendars Scrub Christian Holidays, Keep Muslim Ones: “…while Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter are missing from the diary’s pages, days commemorating ‘Sikh Baisakhi-Day, the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday, the Muslim holiday Aid-el-Kebir,’ remain. The omissions have drawn the ire of the Christian Democratic Party in France….[It states:] ‘The role of Christianity in the European contruction is an undeniable and historical fact. How can this diary pretend to inform teenagers about the EU, removing all references to christianism, negating a religion that contributed so much to its construction and unity?'”

Feds’ rhetoric imperils Christian values, beliefs: “A California-based organization has released its annual list of anti-Christian acts in America for 2010….The list included stories like the Department of Homeland Security’s report on ‘Rightwing Extremism,’ which labeled conservative Christians as potential terrorists — or when police officers were called to a middle school in Kentucky to stop eighth-graders from praying during lunchfor a student whose mother was tragically killed. The number-one anti-Christian event in 2010, according to the poll’s final tally, was the continued push for passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) — a bill that, if made law, would force ministries to hire individuals who oppose their beliefs or who live in open defiance of their values.”

Persecution a sign of end times: “Matthew Sherwood….says his co-worker and boss often told him that his God was a joke and that believing that Jesus was crucified on the cross is ‘garbage.’ Sherwood alleges that his colleagues also changed his Facebook bio to read, ‘Satan is king. All hail Satan! I am officially a Satanist.’…

” Dr. Michael Coffman, president of Environmental Perspectives]… believes Christians will soon be unable to proclaim their faith publicly without facing consequences. ‘It’s only a matter of time before our very protections are going to be fully lost and we will be as demonized and persecuted as all the Christians in other nations of the world.'” See Persecuted but not forsaken

December 2010

Atheists’ ad blitz calls Christmas a myth: “A billboard scheduled to be displayed near the New Jersey entrance to the tunnel until the end of the holidays shows a silhouetted manger scene with the message, ‘You KNOW it’s a Myth. This Season, Celebrate REASON.’…

“’If the religious right wants a war on Christmas, this is what they’re going to get,’ he said…. The campaign is one of several atheist media blitzes scheduled this holiday season. It joins a $200,000 national television, newspaper and magazine advertising campaign sponsored by the American Humanist Association and the Stiefel Freethought Foundation meant to challenge biblical morality and fundamentalist Christianity.

“Those ads juxtapose passages from religious texts selected because they appear to advocate for ‘fear, hatred and intolerance,’ with quotations from humanist scholars that promote ‘love, equality, peace, freedom and reason.’… The $20,000 campaign, sponsored by a national organization called American Atheists, is timed to preempt annual accusations that liberal groups are waging war on Christmas….

“The American Humanist Association sponsored a 48-foot sign erected on the New Jersey Turnpike in 2008 that read, ‘Don’t Believe in God? You are not alone.'”

“…you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”Matthew 24:9

Austria: Judge Rules That Yodeling Offends Muslims: “An Austrian court has recently fined a citizen for yodeling while mowing his lawn…. The citizen, 63-year-old Helmut G., was told by the court thathis yodeling offended his next-door Muslim neighbors…. Developed in the Central Alps as a method of communication between alpine mountaineers or between alpine villages, the yodel later became part of the region’s traditional lore and musical expression….

“Unfortunately for Helmut G., his neighbors were in the middle of a prayer when he started to yodel…. Helmut G. clarified that ‘It was not my intention to imitate or insult them. I simply started to yodel a few tunes because I was in such a good mood.’”

Secularists Assault on Christmas and Christianity: “One of the most effective ways to overturn a culture is not to take it on directly, but to undermine it gradually….For the past half century, there has been a slow but unrelenting attack on the Christian foundations of the United States. First, secularists took prayer out of the public schools, because it ‘promoted religion and alienated non-believing children.’ …Then they wanted the study of the Bible taken out of schools, because that ‘promoted Christianity….

“…public monuments listing the 10 Commandments had to go, too, because displaying the moral foundation of Western lawsomehow endorsed Judeo-Christian religion…..Every year, there are fewer nativity scenes on display.” SeeThe Nature and Tactics of Satan

Biblical images restored at bank: “An Oklahoma bank on Friday restored religious images, including a Bible verse on its website, and announced a Federal Reserve Bank ruling that barred their display had been resolved….Earlier Friday, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe and Rep. Frank Lucas released a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stating the demand that the images be removed appeared to be without precedent and unconstitutional. “Mr. Chairman, in our years of public service we have seldom encountered a more alarming case of heavy-handed interpretation and enforcement of federal regulations to the exclusion of any other consideration or law, including the Supreme Law of the Land,” the two Oklahoma Republicans stated.” See next link:

Feds Force Bank to Remove Crosses, Bible Verses, and Christmas Buttons: “Federal Reserve examiners come every four years to make sure banks are complying with a long list of regulations. The examiners came to Perkins [the town] last week. And the team from Kansas City deemed a Bible verse of the day, crosses on the teller’s counter and buttons that say ‘Merry Christmas, God With Us’ were inappropriate…. [The] symbols violated the discouragement clause of Regulation B of the bank regulations. According to the clause, ‘…the use of words, symbols, models and other forms of communication …express, imply or suggest a discriminatory preference or policy of exclusion.’ The feds interpret that to mean, for example, a Jew or Muslin or atheist may be offended and believe they may be discriminated against at this bank.” SeePreparing for Persecution

University: Demands student get re-educated, attend ‘pride’ event: “Augusta State University graduate student Jen Keeton alleges school officials demand she be re-educated in morality, giving her the choice of giving up her Christian beliefs on homosexuality or being expelled from the school’s counseling program….Faculty members, therefore, had demanded Keeton ‘attend at least three workshops …which emphasize …diversity training sensitive toward working with GLBTQ populations.'” See Don’t conform to the ways of the world

Courageous Christian Student Confronts Teacher’s…Homosexual Agenda: “Daniel Glowacki, a 16-year-old junior at Howell High School in Howell, Michigan, has unexpectedly found himself at the center of a national firestorm and the target of homosexual activists across the country…. It came about when he defended another student’s free speech rights, and when confronted by his pro-homosexual teacher, Daniel ended up defending his Catholic faith that considers homosexual conduct a sin…

“Daniel’s economics class teacher, Jay McDowell, wore a purple ‘Tyler’s Army’… t-shirt as part of a national campaign to highlight the alleged ‘bullying’ of homosexuals….Ironically, McDowell ended up ‘bullying’ his own student who dared to defend his Christian beliefs about homosexuality….The outraged teacher angrily threw Daniel out of his classroom…. [Apparently] McDowell told them, ‘If the student was Catholic, he’d be or should be in Catholic school’ and followed him into the hall yelling he was a racist…

“Predictably, homosexual activists across the country are hailing McDowell as a hero and vilifying Daniel and his family, describing them as ‘bigots’ and referring to Daniel’s religious objection to the homosexual agenda as ‘hate speech’. McDowell is head of the school district’s teachers union…”

Mob rule on campus: “If a mob disrupted a pro-choice speaker at a Canadian university, chances are the protesters would be removed. If a mob disrupted a pro-life speaker at a Canadian university, chances are the speech would be cancelled. One kind of speech is free in Canada; another kind isn’t. Speech broadly characterized as ‘left-wing’ a.k.a. ‘progressive’–e. g., pro-choice, anti-Israeli, anti-capitalist — is protected even at its extreme. Speech broadly characterized as ‘right-wing’ a.k.a. ‘reactionary’ — pro-life, pro-Western, pro-Israel–isn’t protected…”

Charge for seeking Christian roommate dismissed: “A single woman cited for unfair discrimination by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights for posting a note on her church bulletin board that sought a ‘Christian roommate’ has had her case dismissed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development….The woman, 31-year-old nursing student Tricia Rowe, was alleged to have violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against people of other faiths…..

“This complaint should have never been brought…It is borderline frivolous to suggest that a single lady can be fined by the government simply for seeking a Christian female roommate to share her 900-square-foot house.’…The complaint alleged the woman’s statement, I am looking for a Christian roommate, prevents people of other faithsfrom contacting the woman and making arrangements to share her home with her.”

‘ACLU-crafted court order criminalizes Christianity’: “…teachers are always considered to be acting in their ‘official capacity’ whenever a student is present, even at private functions off campus.Teachers cannot pray, bow their heads, or fold their hands to show agreement with anyone who does pray. Teachers and staff cannot ‘Reply’ to an e-mail sent by a parent if the parent’s e-mail refers to God or Scripture. Teachers either have to delete such references from the original e-mail or reply by initiating a new e-mail. Teachers and staff are also required to stop students from prayingin their own private club meetings.” See Spiritual Warfare

Christians in Captivity: “So you can freely offend ‘people of faith’ — but only people of faith. Offending anybody else is hate speech….

” New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Palladino recently touched off a firestorm by saying he wouldn’t take children to a ‘gay pride’ parade. It has become controversial not to expose children to a lot of semi-nude men…. But the thought police declared the remarks ‘controversial’ and ‘hateful,’ and Palladino immediately backed off….

“…the expression ‘people of faith’ is not quite honest. If your ‘art’ abused Buddha, or the Hindu pantheon… you would be smeared all over the country as a ‘hater’…. Our civil government, courts, media, schools and universities, and major corporations — we surrendered them all to the enemies of Christ our King.” See Why “Hate crime” laws would ban Biblical Christianity

Four Christian missionaries acquited of inciting Dearborn Michigan Muslims: “Friday, four Christian missionaries were acquitted of breach of peace while proselytizing Muslims at [Michigan’s] Dearborn Arab International Festival in June…. At issue has been the right to freedom of speech and religion. The four missionaries…were arrested in June on charges of disorderly conduct. They have claimed the First Amendment guarantees their right to speak freely in public.

“Opponents of the group contend that speech is not protected if it is likely to incite violence….

“Significantly, the missionaries made sure they onlytalked to people who came up to them and engaged them in conversation. That undermined the case for incitement.” See Mission to the world around us

Christian missionaries will stand trial in Dearborn[Michigan]: “The four Christian missionaries arrested for disorderly conduct for preaching to a predominately Muslim crowd at the Dearborn International Arab Festival in June will stand trial after the judge refused to grant a motion filed by defense attorneys to dismiss the case.”

But it doesn’t make sense! Here is a report on what actually happened:

Allahu Akbar!’ shouted as Christians handcuffed: “Four Christians were arrested and thrown out of a public Arab festival in Michigan… for doing nothing more than engaging in peaceful dialogue and videotaping the event. Nabeel Qureshi, David Wood, Paul Rezkalla and 18-year-old Negeen Mayel attended the 15th annual Dearborn Arab International Festival on June 18 in Dearborn, Mich., where an estimated 30,000 of the city’s 98,000 residents are Muslim…. The American Arab Chamber of Commerce announced the event was expected to draw ‘over 300,000 people…. In the following video…Qureshi said his group took ‘extra precautions’ to prevent disruptions by not handing out pamphlets and to speak only to people ‘who first approached us.'”See God’s Warnings for our Times

Conservative recruiters frog-marched off campus: “The group, founded in 1960 to represent conservatives on college and university campuses, has been working to establish additional college campus chapters…. The members set up a table on the Palm Beach campus in Lake Worth Tuesday during ‘club rush’ after Beattie received verbal permission….

“But campus officials then ‘approached the group and after seeing information about the organization and its ideals criticizing Barack Obama’s economic policy.’.. The officials called campus police to make sure the group was removed from the campus….’She outright denied giving me permission… simply because she disagreed with my beliefs,’ said Beattie.”

Christian College’s Police Force Ruled Unconstitutional: “Christian Colleges cannot have security police to enforce state law because its a violation of ‘Separation of Church & State.’… Davidson College, a small private Presbyterian school in North Carolina, can’t have police officers with the power to arrest suspects and enforce state law – because of its religious affiliation…” SeeBan truth – Reap Tyranny

[Dutch] Christians on the defensive: “I’f it’d said ‘Allah Akbar’, the council wouldn’t have dared to try and remove it,’ says Marianne Bons…. She’s talking about a farm roof on which ‘Jesus saves’ is painted in enormous letters. The council says the text has to go. The farm’s owner, evangelical Christian Joop van Ooijen, is refusing to obey….

“‘You’re allowed to believe in anything in this country, as long as it’s nothing to do with Christians or the Church,’ says Ms Bos, describing the prevailing Dutch attitude to religion.” S

Christianity not accepted here: “Expelled for being Christian. That’s the fate of two college graduate school students at separate universities…. Julea Ward lost her lawsuit against Eastern Michigan University July 26. …she was dismissed from a counseling program in March, 2009, for not affirming homosexual behavior as morally acceptable….

“…at Augusta State University…Jennifer Keeton was told her Christian beliefs are unethical and incompatible with the prevailing views of the counseling profession. She must stop sharing her beliefs with others and change her beliefs if she’s to graduate from the program, the school has told her.”

Shopping mall’s speech restrictions torpedoed: “…the case arose after a Matthew Snatchko was arrested at the Roseville Galleria Mall in 2007 for striking up a casual conversation with other shoppers about faith…. Pacific Justice said that under the mall’s rules, shoppers are not allowed to engage in conversations about potentially controversial topics such as religion or politics unless they already know the person they are talking to. Another mall rule bans the wearing of any clothing with religious or political messages. The new ruling from the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento struck down the mall rules as unconstitutionally vague and restrictive of free speech.”

July 2010

“Godbloc filter: “GodBlock is a web filter that blocks religious content. It is targeted at parents and schools who wish to protect their kids from the often violent, sexual, and psychologically harmful material in many holy texts, and from being indoctrinated into any religion before they are of the age to make such decisions. …GodBlock will test each page that your child visits before it is loaded, looking for passages from holy texts, names of religious figures, and other signs of religious propaganda. If none are found, then your child is allowed to browse freely.

“Why? In the last century, the United States has seen a resurgence of fundamentalist religion. Fundamentalist Evangelicals, Mormons, Baptists, Muslims, and Jews have held back progress in science, human rights, civil rights, and protecting our environment. How can we reverse this trend and join the rest of the world in the gradual secularization of society and government?

“Most deeply religious people are born into their religion, but even children raised in a secular household are vulnerable to content on the web. That’s why we’ve produced GodBlock.”

Kids can’t pray at U.S. Supreme Court: “A Christian private-school teacher is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow constitutionally protected prayer outside the court building after her class was ‘abruptly’ ordered to stop praying on the grounds….’Even though they were not obstructing traffic, not demonstrating, and praying quietly in a conversational tone so as to not attract attention, a court police officer approached the group and told them to stop praying in that public area immediately,’ ADF reported. ‘The prayer was stopped based on a statute, 40 U.S.C. §6135, which bars parades and processions on Supreme Court grounds.’…

“Mrs. Rigo was not engaging in a parade, procession or assembly. She was speaking in a conversational level to those around her with her head bowed.’… The group noted that the prayers are akin to routine conversations that take place during Supreme Court tours every day….’The last place you’d expect this kind of obvious disregard for the First Amendment would be on the grounds of the U.S. Supreme Court itself…'” See Our Freedom in Christ

June 2010

Supreme Court rules against Christian group that bars gays: “A university can legally deny recognition to a Christian student group that bars gays and nonbelievers, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday in a case that pitted anti-discrimination principles against religious freedom…. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.”

The World’s Oldest Collective Hatred[by Jan Markel]: “For someone to tell a Jew in Israel to ‘go home’… makes no sense because they are home. They may have passed through Germany or Poland, or Russia as my grandparents did, but the Bible reveals that Israel is their home. Of all earth’s inhabitants, only the Jews have a deed to a piece of land from God as recorded in the Bible. But then not even most church members even know that, let alone the monsters of the world. The destiny of the Jew is to be eternally unsafe around the world. The day is coming when friends of Israel will also feel uneasy and unsafe.”

Seven Reasons Why Israel Will Never Get a Fair Shake: “‘Never again.’ It’s what the world said after the Holocaust. Fast forward sixty five years and the only thing standing between seven million Jews in Israel and a 2nd Holocaust is their ability to fight for their own survival…. No matter how grave the provocation or how clearly Israel is in the right, the world’s judgment is always against Israel. Why?”

Illinois abortion clinic takes another shot at Christian pro-lifers: “In the past, the workers have displayed rubber chickens hanging from nooses, a nun in a coffin, and other taunting posters with hateful messages….But Kevin Rilott… notes that the clinic’s new ‘decoration’ reaches another level of hate for pro-life views…. The latest method… is a picture of Jesus making an obscene gesture with words at the bottom that read: ‘Even Jesus hates you.’ …The pro-life advocate adds that a couple of the clinic operators whom his group has gotten to know make it clear that they despise everything about Christianity.” See Ban Truth – Reap Tyranny

May 2010

Gay couple to sue over B&B snub by Christian owners: [UK] “A gay couple who were turned away by a Christian bed and breakfast owner because it was ‘against her convictions’ to let them share a double bed are suing her for damages. …Mr Black, 62, and Mr Morgan, 56, reported Mrs Wilkinson to police for refusing them a room. They said she was breaching discrimination laws and that they were horrified by the former air hostess’s ‘outdated and abhorrent views’. But Mrs Wilkinson and her husband Francis, a former city worker, insisted they were simply living according to their values and Christian beliefs.”‘

College backtracks on discipline for prayer: “A lawsuit against a California college that threatened to suspend a student caught offering a prayer for a sick teacher – and another student who happened to be nearby – has been settled…. The case against the College of Alameda was brought after the school threatened the students [Kandy Kyriacou and Ojoma Omaga] with expulsion after Kyriacou was spotted by another faculty member praying with the teacher. Omaga’s offense apparently to accompany Kyriacou to the teacher’s office and be nearby at the time….

“The incident developed in December 2007 when an instructor at the college complained about a private, consensual prayer in a shared faculty office between a student and a sick teacher. The institution issued formal notices of intent to suspend both the student and a bystander, held disciplinary hearings and imposed written warnings.”

Church warned that flag of Jesus is ‘religious advertising’: [UK] “Rev Mark Binney, vicar of St Andrew’s Church, Hampton, Worcs, said he had been told he needed planning permission if he wanted to fly a flag ‘advertising Christianity’ in future. The flag was put up outside the church in the week preceding Easter Sunday displaying the words ‘This is Holy Week’ and an image of Jesus on the cross.”

Franklin Graham Uninvited to Pentagon Prayer Service: “Rev. Franklin Graham has been uninvited to the Pentagon prayer service because of his true and biblical statements about Islam. Two points: 1. The US military is increasingly going on record as hostile to historic Christianity. They want an American civil religion that passes politically correct muster. That civil religion would include most of the other religions of the world…except Christianity. Not surprisingly, an Islamic cleric, known for his anti-Christian hate speech, is attending the Pentagon prayer service in good standing with our military. 2. The outrageous double standard aside, Franklin Graham should take it as a compliment that he was uninvited to the American pantheon of idols to offer up a prayer along with the pagans.” See Unity in an Anti-Christian World

Pluralism & Global Spirituality.Army withdraws Franklin Graham Pentagon prayer day invitation: “In a 2001 op-ed piece, Graham wrote that he does not believe Muslims are evil, but he objects to the treatment of women in Muslim countries and Islam’s historic ‘persecution or elimination’ of other religions…. ‘I speak out for people that live under Islam, that are enslaved by Islam and I want them to know they can be free through faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone.’

“Council on American Islamic Relations spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said it is ‘“completely inappropriate’ for Graham to speak in front of a military audience….

“An Army spokesman told the Associated Press the Pentagon’s relationship with the Christian group does not violate Defense Department rules. We are an all-inclusive military,’ said Col. Tim Collins. ‘We hold observances throughout the year. This one happens to be a Christian-themed event.’” See Tony Blair’s Interfaith Foundation

Federal judge strikes down National Day of Prayer (ten days old): “U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb issued the decision in a case filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based atheist and agnostic group that challenged the constitutionality of a 1988 federal law….’It goes beyond mere ‘acknowledgment’ of religion,’ Crabb wrote, ‘because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context.'” Is that the new legal standard? God’s Warnings for our Times

Tea Party infiltrators to wear Nazi uniforms? “The man who threatened to crash tea parties with protesters wearing Nazi uniforms, carrying misspelled signs and making wild claims on TV, is an Oregon middle-school teacher who may have been working on his tea-party infiltration effort during school time, according to reports. Some tea partiers claim Jason Levin, a teacher at Conestoga Middle School in Beaverton, Ore., has been working on his ‘Crash the Tea Party’ website when he should have been teaching.”

State poised to punish free speech at schools — Children with traditional values may get ‘detention, suspension’: “The state of California is poised within days to adopt a resolution that schools be ‘discrimination-free’ zones – a plan one critic asserts is designed ‘to stamp out the free speech of students and teachers with moral values or scientific ethics.’…The resolution states ‘all public education institutes are encouraged to … identify themselves as ‘discrimination-free zones’ through placards, signs, notices of available services, and other appropriate identifications to create a campus climate that welcomes diversity and supports the tolerance of others.’… The proposal states ‘all public education institutions, prekindergarten through university campuses, are encouraged to develop and enact policies that support tolerance and acceptance of others regardless of their race or ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation.…”

Tea partiers ‘screaming white men,’ ‘racist forces’: “Those are just a few of the labels used to describe participants in yesterday’s tea party rally in Boston headlined by Palin, according to an account from a union leader and protest organizer posted on a socialist website. Steve Gillis, vice president of the Steelworkers Local 8751…. described his protest group of mostly Haitian-origin union workers as ‘anti-racists,’ fighting ‘the racist forces’…. Gillis hailed his anti-tea party protest as ‘a step forward for people ready to fight the capitalist system’s tricks…”

Christophobia – Anti-Christian bigotry is the last fashionable hatred: “Christianity is dying. It was once the bastion of Western civilization. Now, Christianity is a pitiful remnant of its former greatness. Across the West, it is in full retreat.…[Compared to today’s increasingly worldly church, God’s true Church may seem to be a mere remnant. But that remnant will never die!]

Pornography, abortion, homosexuality, promiscuity, the AIDS epidemic, soaring out-of-wedlock births, sky-rocketing divorce rates and the breakdown of the family – these are the poisoned fruits of the Playboy philosophy. MTV morality is in; Jesus is out…. The American left is following in the shameful – and much more bloody – footsteps of Marxist regimes. Instead of eradicating religious faith through the barrel of a gun, leftists use bureaucratic dictates and mass propaganda. …

“The same standards do not apply to Islam. Davenport’s multiculturalists would never dare to remove say, Ramadan, from the calendar and rename it “Fasting Month” for fear of offending Muslims – and possibly triggering a fatwa….

“The Founding Fathers emphasized that the constitutional republic depended upon a vigorous religious society…. ‘Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people,’ said John Adams. ‘It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'” See Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796

City opens door a crack for home Bible studies: “Officials in the city of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., who had ordered participants of a home Bible study either to purchase an unobtainable city permit to meet or shut down, now are relenting a little. City officials have said the Bible study targeted earlier for banishment can continue to meet, but they are keeping the threat of forced closures for potential use against other Bible studies.” See Don’t Mention Jesus

February 2010

Teacher cries ‘hate crime’ over Bible left on desk: “An eighth-grade teacher has accused her students of committing a ‘hate crime’ and being ‘cruel’ because they left a Bible on her desk and a Christmas card with the word ‘Christ’ underlined. Melissa Hussain, an Apex, N.C., science teacher at West Lake Middle School, is suspended with pay and may lose her job after she purportedly clashed with students on the subject of religion and sent students to the school office when they asked about the role of God in creation during a lesson about evolution.

“Hussain wrote on her then-public Facebook page that it was a ‘hate crime’ when her students left a Bible on her desk…. She complained about students singing ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and wearing Jesus T-shirts. Hussain said she ‘was able to shame her kids’ over the incidents. ‘I can’t believe the cruelty and ignorance of people sometimes,’ Hussain wrote on the social networking site. She said she wouldn’t let the Bible incident ‘go unpunished.’….

“Hussain’s friends responded by posting comments on the teacher’s Facebook page … calling the parents of Hussain’s students ‘bigoted, stupid and uncaring.’ Another friend suggested Hussain bring a poster to class of NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a swastika drawn on his forehead because doing so would be ‘teaching” students a lesson.'” See Preparing for Persecution

Christian teacher ‘forced out’ after complaining Muslim pupils praised 9/11 hijackers ‘as heroes’: [UK] “A Christian teacher yesterday claimed he was forced out of his job after complaining that Muslim pupils as young as eight hailed the September 11 hijackers as heroes…. The predominantly Muslim youngsters openly praised Islamic extremists in class and described the September 11 terrorists as ‘heroes and martyrs’. One pupil said: ‘Don’t touch me, you’re a Christian’ when he brushed against him. Others said: ‘We want to be Islamic bombers when we grow up’, and ‘The Christians and Jews are our enemies – you too because you’re a Christian’.” SeeLoving evil more than good

Religious affiliation on ID cards rejected: “…religious affiliation on ID cards has created problems for Christians in predominantly Islamic nations…. Turkey was requiring people to disclose their beliefs in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the national constitution…. Christians and other religious minorities in Turkey often have been subjected to discrimination based on identification of their religious affiliation…. ‘It has been known to affect whether they get a job or not, how people look at them, whether they are accepted for a post or an application of some sort.” Day of No Return

January 2009

Mall to Christians: God talk banned! “…a youth pastor was arrested at the Galleria Mall in Roseville, Calif., for having a conversation about religion with two other people. Matthew Snatchko… was interrupted in the middle of a conversation by a security guard. A second guard joined the confrontation and told Snatchko he was being placed under citizen’s arrest for ‘trespassing.’ The pastor said he agreed to leave but instead, the guards grabbed him, roughly shoved him against a storefront window and handcuffed him tightly enough to draw blood. …he was booked on charges of battery and trespassing.

“…the charges were dropped, but officials with the Pacific Justice Institute decided to pursue a case against the mall over the impact of the policy on free speech….

“Snatchko originally was confronted during a casual conversation with two other shoppers about faith when a store employee listened to the conversation and alerted mall security guards. Besides the ban on conversations with strangers about religion or politics, the mall also bans any clothing with religious or political messages.” See Evangelism: Our witness to His love

The Crucifixion of Brit Hume: “During the Roman Empire’s secularist era those who acknowledged the deity of Christ were frequently fed to the lions to entertain – for lack of a better word – the ‘progressive’ elites of the day. … You don’t see it when Muslims proselytize in government schools….

“‘Tom Shales, media critic for the Washington Post... demanded that Hume apologize and called his Christian remarks ‘even only a few days into January, as one of the most ridiculous of the year.’ MSNBC’s… Keith Olbermann accused Hume of attempting ‘to threaten Tiger Woods into converting to Christianity’…. Commenting on the Huffington Post, ‘Kandaher’ bypassed Hume altogether and aimed his vitriol directly at his Creator: ‘anyone (sic) watched ‘The passion of Christ’? I thorouhgly (sic) enjoyed it. Nothing like watching this bloke getting beaten up!”

As Jesus told us, “…because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…. If they persecuted Me they will persecute you… for they do not know the One who sent Me.” John 15:19-21